National Appeal Weekend Jan. 16-17
First Combined Appeal Helps Church in U.S.
By Amanda Hudson, News Editor
January 14, 2021
DIOCESE—The first combined collection in 2021 is coming this weekend to diocesan parishes, Jan. 16-17.
 
The National Appeal is the first of three appeals taken up during the year, designed to reduce the frequency of special collections in parishes by requesting donations for several collections each time. 
 
This first appeal requests donations to support:
 
â–º The Retirement Fund for Religious, which benefits over 30,000 elderly Catholic sisters, religious order brothers and priests whose communities struggle to provide for their needs. Last year, $161,733 was donated to this part of the appeal. 
Info: retiredreligious.org
 
â–º The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., which has served the Church, its students and the nation since 1887. CUA offers an exceptional Catholic education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition to over 6,000 students per year. Money collected for this appeal directly supports financial assistance for students from dioceses across the country. $7,863 was given to this appeal in 2020. 
 
â–º The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which works to break the cycle of poverty across the U.S. Donations from this collection include 25% that remains in the Rockford Diocese. With your help, the Diocese distributed $21,623 last year. 
 
â–º The Catholic Communication Campaign, which supports Catholic media projects in the Rockford Diocese, such as the weekly TV Mass, and around the U.S. In 2020, the Diocese distributed $122,501 for this appeal. 
 
Assistance through the National Appeal also addresses two needs in the diocese:
 
â–º Needy Diocesan Elementary Schools. Last year, $200,251 was distributed
 
â–º The Diocesan Priests’ Pension Fund in support of the retired priests of the Rockford Diocese. Last year, $156,417 was contributed to this part of the appeal.
 
“This National Appeal allows you to donate to your choice of (these) collections at one time,” says Bishop David Malloy. “I ask you to prayerfully consider contributing to the work of the Catholic Church through these efforts to live and share the faith here in the United States and in our own Diocese.”
 
 
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